Burley's boys upset Reds

Midfielder Adam Tanner struck a stunning goal to earn Ipswich their first ever-win at Anfield and deal a devastating blow to Liverpool's Premiership title hopes.

The 21-year-old Tanner thumped home a first-half cracker which sent the Reds to their first home League defeat of the season despite laying siege to the Ipswich goal for much of the match.

Canadian 'keeper Craig Forrest - superbly protected by his defence - repelled all would-be Liverpool rescuers to give George Burley's men their first away win since August and the perfect response to their FA Cup defeat at Wrexham.

Liverpool were without thigh injury victim John Barnes, but Burley made five changes - three enforced - from the team humiliated at the Racecourse Ground last week.

Ipswich, befitting a team with nothing other than survival on their minds, funnelled back to offer a nine-man defensive shield and their take no prisoners approach - marshalled by the former Liverpool stalwart John Wark - did little to endear them to the Anfield crowd.

David Linighan, Steve Sedgley and Gavin Johnson all announced their presence with crunching and illegal challenges, but with Steve McManaman in sparkling form, this did not seem likely to have much relevance to the destination of the points.

One jinking run from the winger left the retreating Ipswich men trailing in his wake before a shot which was dragged wide from 20 yards.

And when McManaman returned to the right his influence was even greater. Cutting inside and shooting with his left, McManaman forced Forrest - back after injury - into the first of a series of fine stops.

Then the wideman twice created great openings for England team-mate Rob Jones, both of which were foiled by Forrest.

But out of nothing, Ipswich broke from their defensive shell to take the lead on the half-hour. Sedgley played the ball in from the left and Tanner continued his eye-catching introduction to the big-time by cracking home left-footed - only the second goal David James had conceded in nine matches.

On his Ipswich debut a fortnight earlier, the midfielder scored in the 4-1 win over Leicester. Last week he conceded the penalty which gave Wrexham the shock of the third round of the FA Cup but he will remember his third game for more satisfying reasons.

McManaman and then Stig Bjornebye were then denied by the in-form Forrest and a fast break led by Uruguayan striker Adrian Paz nearly embarrassed Neil Ruddock, whose interception sent the ball into the side-netting with James wrong-footed.

Forrest kept the Portman Road side ahead by denying Jones for a third time after excellent link play between McManaman and Michael Thomas, who was in for Barnes, and the worries on the Liverpool bench were shown when Mark Walters replaced Bjornebye in the 57th minute.

Liverpool's possession was tantamount to a monopoly, but despite the effort and the exhortations of the crowd they rarely got through to worry Forrest.

Walters had one shot turned into the side-netting and Fowler just failed to reach a McManaman cross as Liverpool tried in vain to salvage a point.

At the death, Walters just failed to turn the ball home at the far post, but this was Tanner's - and Ipswich's - day.

"I was here numerous times as a player and never got a win, so to come back and win as a manager is very pleasing for me," said Burley. "The commitment and attitude of the players was first-class. We were unrecognisable from the team we were last week."

Burley explained: "It was all down to hard work. I told the players what we had to do, we did it for 90 minutes and we deserved three points."

For Evans there was little hiding the huge disappointment of his side's display. He said: "All the pluses that there have been in the unbeaten run weren't there today. What we've done well is to pass the ball, move it and get behind the opposition. But we didn't pass it well from start to finish today. We still ended up with a few chances but we didn't play as well as we can. They had a bit of luck but good luck to them. I always felt it just wasn't going to be for us."

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